Feros |
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I purchased your Pathfinder Module: Ire Of The Storm on FreeRPG day, but, after reading it I have a couple of minor questions.
Since the module is about 1½ of an Adventure Path installment, and is intended for new 1st level characters, would it be worth it to provide some “Campaign Traits” to help fit the PCs into the story? (No, I am not asking you to provide them for me.)
Also, since the module leaves the heroes at level 6, it is reasonable that the PCs would want to continue. Any ideas of a follow up adventure?
Ooh! Ooh! I know! I know!
*jumps up and down waving hand in the air*
Can I tell him Thursty?
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I purchased your Pathfinder Module: Ire Of The Storm on FreeRPG day, but, after reading it I have a couple of minor questions.
Since the module is about 1½ of an Adventure Path installment, and is intended for new 1st level characters, would it be worth it to provide some “Campaign Traits” to help fit the PCs into the story? (No, I am not asking you to provide them for me.)
Also, since the module leaves the heroes at level 6, it is reasonable that the PCs would want to continue. Any ideas of a follow up adventure?
Sorry for the late response on this, Lord Fyre! (I've been in a crazy work mode, and really need to set up some kind of indicator when new posts show up in here...)
To answer your questions in order...
1) Campaign traits would be entirely appropriate for running Ire of the Storm. I've forgotten the last campaign where I didn't end up having PCs choose traits, and most of the time I end up creating new traits to suit the campaign. So yeah, I would go ahead and make up some traits that fit with the character's background and fit the general power level (or even a bit better) than the current suite of traits.
2) There is a perfect follow-up adventures in Pathfinder Module: Seers of the Drowned City by RPG Superstar Nicholas Wasko (and developed by the esteemed James Jacobs!). The adventure even includes some helpful hints on how to connect the two adventures together into a more cohesive narrative.
Hope that helps, and thanks again for the questions. I hope you and your players get a kick out of Ire of the Storm!
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
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How booze-fuelled will Starfinder be?
Honestly, not THAT much. Given my breakneck schedule up into the end of convention season, I don't have much time to drink. It's all work, all the time!
Generally, the booze tends to flow AT conventions. This led to my partner coining the term "Convention Thursty", which is pretty apt. :)
Wei Ji the Learner |
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Wei Ji the Learner wrote:
How booze-fuelled will Starfinder be?
Honestly, not THAT much. Given my breakneck schedule up into the end of convention season, I don't have much time to drink. It's all work, all the time!
Generally, the booze tends to flow AT conventions. This led to my partner coining the term "Convention Thursty", which is pretty apt. :)
Well, hopefully we can get you some quality drinking time without killing you.
:>
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
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Thurston Hillman wrote:Generally, the booze tends to flow AT conventions. This led to my partner coining the term "Convention Thursty", which is pretty apt. :)I won't lie... I was a little surprised that you recognized me at PaizoCon. ^_^
Psah! Memorable people are memorable. Plus, we've worked enough together that I can easily put faces to names.
Wei Ji the Learner |
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Wei Ji the Learner wrote:Challenge... accepted? :)
Well, hopefully we can get you some quality drinking time without killing you.:>
Try not to look at it so much as a 'challenge' as 'mandatory downtime for a good cause (one's morale)'.
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
GreatKhanArtist |
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Brad Pitt modeling polo shirts. Who cares what the rest of the movie is about?
Since you are writing the first installment for War for the Crown, and I've yet to see James Jacobs stick his nose in here, can you drop us some tasty tidbits?
Someone has probably already asked and answered this, but what is the Aspis equivalent in Starfinder?
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
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Since you are writing the first installment for War for the Crown, and I've yet to see James Jacobs stick his nose in here, can you drop us some tasty tidbits?
It's going to be even more insane than people think it is? Yeah, that's a spoiler!
Considering I just finished writing this sucker, and am in the process of polishing the final text up for Crystal (the amazing developer), I can't say much more. Well, I can say that I'm totally humbled by some of the major world changing plot I've been entrusted with >_>
Someone has probably already asked and answered this, but what is the Aspis equivalent in Starfinder?
I think there's a faction that suits this role quite nicely... just a few more weeks to find which! :)
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
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Thurston, I noticed that you're from Winnipeg. Greetings fellow iceman! Wonderful weather today. Super neato so see a local working on this stuff.
Anywho, do you know if there's any plans for scheduled/weekly SFS games in Winnipeg, perhaps at Game Knight or the like?
I admit, I've not been able to stay on top of local events (Gen Con prep was CRAZY). I'll be attending the Convocation event this weekend, and will check with the local VOs there! :D
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
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Thurston, with Starfinder Pact Worlds coming up, will you write the chapter on the Drow? ;-)
Alas, I tried to take that project, but someone beat me to the punch! :)
That being said, I did get to work on one of the worlds, which I'll be sure to rant about as we get closer to the release of the book!
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
Feros |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
D'awwwwwwww, thanks folks! Trust me when I say... we've barely gotten started on the Starfinder and Starfinder Society train. :)
...and suddenly I feel the need to suggest adding some sort of Space Train to Starfinder post haste! ;)
Lord Fyre RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32 |
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Would going to the simplified monster creation rules from Pathfinder Unchained page 194-253 (similar to what Starfinder using) help with Pathfinder Society Scenario page counts?
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Would going to the simplified monster creation rules from Pathfinder Unchained page 194-253 (similar to what Starfinder using) help with Pathfinder Society Scenario page counts?
There's a fine balance to this. One benefit of Pathfinder's method of statblocks, is that only NPCs and adjusted creatures need full statblocks. Typically, other statblocks can get an abbreviated statblock that points to the source (such as a Bestiary). Even with this method, GMs requested easier access to the abbreviated statblocks, so Organized Play started including them in the back of scenarios.
I don't necessarily think the simplified monster creation will cut-down on space in products, just because a statblock is a statblock, and we need to present that information to GMs. What I am excited about, is that once people learn to accept the Starfinder method of monster creation, we shouldn't have to spend as much time focusing on posts where people reverse-engineer NPC statblocks and find that a skill is +2 short, or that an AC is 1-2 off where it should be. Thanks to the simplified system, there's more room for looking at appropriate stat and making sure the number is on or near the target value.
Lord Fyre RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32 |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Lord Fyre wrote:Would going to the simplified monster creation rules from Pathfinder Unchained page 194-253 (similar to what Starfinder using) help with Pathfinder Society Scenario page counts?There's a fine balance to this. One benefit of Pathfinder's method of statblocks, is that only NPCs and adjusted creatures need full statblocks. Typically, other statblocks can get an abbreviated statblock that points to the source (such as a Bestiary). Even with this method, GMs requested easier access to the abbreviated statblocks, so Organized Play started including them in the back of scenarios.
I don't necessarily think the simplified monster creation will cut-down on space in products, just because a statblock is a statblock, and we need to present that information to GMs. What I am excited about, is that once people learn to accept the Starfinder method of monster creation, we shouldn't have to spend as much time focusing on posts where people reverse-engineer NPC statblocks and find that a skill is +2 short, or that an AC is 1-2 off where it should be. Thanks to the simplified system, there's more room for looking at appropriate stat and making sure the number is on or near the target value.
So the prime advantage of the Simplified Monster Creation is that it gives designers (and DMs) greater control on encounter difficulty.
Wei Ji the Learner |
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Given that Lone Wolf Development appears to be going to an 'online-only' model for their Starfinder HeroLab, will Paizo be looking for someone to do an official 'offline' version (as HeroLab is at the moment) of a character/encounter creator for Starfinder?
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
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So the prime advantage of the Simplified Monster Creation is that it gives designers (and DMs) greater control on encounter difficulty.
That's certainly one reason! The ability to create more 'on the fly' monsters is really important in a setting where every planet can have a different critter waiting for the PCs.
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Given that Lone Wolf Development appears to be going to an 'online-only' model for their Starfinder HeroLab, will Paizo be looking for someone to do an official 'offline' version (as HeroLab is at the moment) of a character/encounter creator for Starfinder?
Even if I did know (which I don't), I'm not really at liberty to discuss Paizo licensing deals. Sorry!
Wei Ji the Learner |
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Wei Ji the Learner wrote:Even if I did know (which I don't), I'm not really at liberty to discuss Paizo licensing deals. Sorry!
Given that Lone Wolf Development appears to be going to an 'online-only' model for their Starfinder HeroLab, will Paizo be looking for someone to do an official 'offline' version (as HeroLab is at the moment) of a character/encounter creator for Starfinder?
Fair enough!
See you at SkalCon! *bringing the SF Core even though it's extra flight-weight*
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
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What was the inspiration for Strawberry Machine Cake (Name of band, Album Title, music style, etc.)?
Strawberry Machine Cake is ENTIRELY the brainchild of Eleanor Ferron (author of Starfinder #01-01: The Commencement). It's something I ended up wanting to pursue further, as it was one of the first items in our initial Starfinder Society turnovers that really represented some of the different approaches we could take to storytelling compared to Pathfinder.
And while we've not published anything further on them yet, it's my intent to develop them as a vocaloid band, along the style of Hatsune Miku. If you check online, you can find a LOT of Hatsune's music, and I'd suggest even just using some of that to represent SMC background music during sessions.
Rysky the Dark Solarion |
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Brystar wrote:What was the inspiration for Strawberry Machine Cake (Name of band, Album Title, music style, etc.)?Strawberry Machine Cake is ENTIRELY the brainchild of Eleanor Ferron (author of Starfinder #01-01: The Commencement). It's something I ended up wanting to pursue further, as it was one of the first items in our initial Starfinder Society turnovers that really represented some of the different approaches we could take to storytelling compared to Pathfinder.
And while we've not published anything further on them yet, it's my intent to develop them as a vocaloid band, along the style of Hatsune Miku. If you check online, you can find a LOT of Hatsune's music, and I'd suggest even just using some of that to represent SMC background music during sessions.
EEEEEeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
Archpaladin Zousha |
Are the Guardians of the Galaxy films worth watching? A few friends have recommended them to me but I'm hesitant to give Marvel money after the racist crap they've pulled in things like Doctor Strange, Captain America and Iron Fist.
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
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Are the Guardians of the Galaxy films worth watching? A few friends have recommended them to me but I'm hesitant to give Marvel money after the racist crap they've pulled in things like Doctor Strange, Captain America and Iron Fist.
To be fair, I've only seen the first one. The second GotG is on a looooooooong backlog list of movies that kinda fell in the "Thurston has a new job / needs to get up to speed" period that came up in February.
The first film was incredibly enjoyable. It's certainly captures what a lot of parties will probably become in Starfinder. Also, it has Rocket Raccoon. Who doesn't love destructive genetically engineered raccoons?
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
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That's really cool! I had hoped that it would be a vocaloid style. I just loved the flavor of it in the setting to the point where I ended up putting together album covers for the players to have. I look forward to seeing where these different approaches to storytelling go in the future.
There's certainly some other stories that we're looking to tell in this setting. One of Starfinder's really appealing aspects is the ability for us to pull from a wider array of stories, often times those based on technology and what that does to a civilization. There's also the fact that we have divine magic and that gods are a real and tangible aspect of the setting. There's a lot of interesting room to expand, and while we have our fairly epic "Scoured Stars" story line, I suspect we'll be introducing a lot of smaller plot hooks, like Strawberry Machine Cake, as the campaign evolves.
Wei Ji the Learner |
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I think, with Guardians of the Galaxy, there's a self-awareness that some of the other films Marvel lack, and everyone is a target(most notably and including the protagonists) versus one group of individuals being a target (for the most part).
Have not seen Doctor Strange or Iron Fist (Netflux isn't a thing in this household), and I've been scratching my head trying to figure out the racist content in Captain America -- it may be subtle and I'm missed it, could you PM me with it, please?
Back on track, though:
How has the first month of organized play been treating you, Thursty?
The Sideromancer |
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I think, with Guardians of the Galaxy, there's a self-awareness that some of the other films Marvel lack, and everyone is a target(most notably and including the protagonists) versus one group of individuals being a target (for the most part).
Have not seen Doctor Strange or Iron Fist (Netflux isn't a thing in this household), and I've been scratching my head trying to figure out the racist content in Captain America -- it may be subtle and I'm missed it, could you PM me with it, please?
Back on track, though:
How has the first month of organized play been treating you, Thursty?
For Doctor Strange, several main characters (including both the protagonist and their mentor) were changed from being other ethnicities to being white.
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
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How has the first month of organized play been treating you, Thursty?
Absolutely amazingly!
Getting to see the overwhelmingly successful launch at Gen Con, for both Starfinder and the Starfinder Society, will be something that stays with me for the rest of my life. I made it a point of spending as much of Gen Con as I could chatting with players and generally being available in the Sagamore ballroom. So it was an amazing experience to hang out with everyone getting their first games of Starfinder in.
Now that the campaign's been out for a month, I think I'm just grateful for a comparative slowdown from Gen Con pace. The 5-6 weeks up to Gen Con was filled with 10 hour days and 7 days a week. Sufficed to say, I'm lucky to have a partner who's as understanding as my current lady! :)
Yesterday was the first day since... June(?) that I got to take a full day off from both work and freelance. I spent it painting miniatures, doing some house chores, and otherwise enjoying some time away from the job. OK, maybe I posted on the forums a few times!
Right now, I'm excited to start locking in a whole bunch of future scenarios. We're in the process of outlining the remainder of the Season. The outlining and development of scenarios is my favorite part of the job, and with most of the "launch logistics" out of the way, it's something I can really focus my time on.
Otherwise, looking forward to meeting up with a bunch of fans in a week's time at SkålCon in the Twin Cities. I'll be attending as a guest, and running nonstop tables of Starfinder Society #01-00: Claim to Salvation all event long.
So yeah, I think it's going pretty darn well! Thanks for asking.
Tacticslion |
For Doctor Strange, several main characters (including both the protagonist and their mentor) were changed from being other ethnicities to being white.
Steven Strange isn't white? He looks very white to me.
The ancient one was definitely changed - from an old asian guy to a white woman, which is fair.
But Mordo used to be white and is now black. Seems that so was Kaecilius (given that both he and Mordo came from Transylvania), and is still white, so that's not a change.
Wong was and still is Asian (and, at least currently, is no longer the servant of Dr. Strange, side-stepping that potentially-problematic thing, at least for now).
Which other main characters am I missing?
Archpaladin Zousha |
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The Sideromancer wrote:For Doctor Strange, several main characters (including both the protagonist and their mentor) were changed from being other ethnicities to being white.Steven Strange isn't white? He looks very white to me.
The ancient one was definitely changed - from an old asian guy to a white woman, which is fair.
But Mordo used to be white and is now black. Seems that so was Kaecilius (given that both he and Mordo came from Transylvania), and is still white, so that's not a change.
Wong was and still is Asian (and, at least currently, is no longer the servant of Dr. Strange, side-stepping that potentially-problematic thing, at least for now).
Which other main characters am I missing?
My understanding is that Steven Strange is Asian-American. And its a bit more than just the Ancient One being a white woman, but that the story was shifted from Tibet in the comics to Nepal in the movie, presumably to avoid upsetting China, but that's as far as I'll go to avoid this becoming more political.
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
Lord Fyre RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32 |
Thurston Hillman Starfinder Society Developer |
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Thurston Hillman wrote:Yeah, if we can stop the Marvel movies discussion and keep the thread on target... that'd be great!Do you have an ETA on the next batch of Starfinder Society Scenarios?
Hoping to see some product pages up in the next short while. Expect to see #01-04 near the end of this month (the 27th).